CHAPTER XIX. 

 COMMANDOES AND CIVIL WAR OF 1864. 



While I was living with President Martinus 

 Wessels Pretorius, to learn farming, I got to know 

 and to like an old Dutchman, named Jan Visagie, 

 who was better educated than most of the Boers in 

 the Transvaal and was a medical man of sorts 

 (dispensing simples and Dutch patent medicines). He 

 had a keen sense of humour and I had many a good 

 laugh with him. He became secretary to Govern- 

 ment and moved to Pretoria. When during the 

 Civil War of 1864 Schoeman's party entered 

 Pretoria, they seized Visagie, said his books were 

 not in order, and that he must find security for his 

 appearance when called on, or be put in prison. I 

 stood security for the good-natured old fellow, and 

 produced him in Court on the appointed day. Hans 

 Steyn was appointed judge by his party ; and one 

 Swart Martinus Pretorius declared Visagie 's books 

 to be out of order and money missing and demanded 

 that, as I was security for Visagie, all my estates 

 should be confiscated ! I pointed out that I only 

 undertook to produce Visagie in Court, which I had 

 done, and there my liability ended, but it took all 

 the oratory at my command to get me out of their 

 clutches. I forget what they did to old Visagie, but 

 I think they bolted soon afterwards, as the opposing 

 commando was coming to town. I had built a 

 burnt-brick house some time before (I think the first 

 of its kind in Pretoria) which I afterwards leased to 

 Government Secretary Van der Linden. This house 

 was taken by the Government "dejure" and used 

 as a guard house in which they kept their political 



